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Voice of the Fox
The Newsletter of the Martial Arts Training Service

Don't Come to the Dojo if You're Sick
by Susan Lazar
Spring 1999

It's been a rough cold and flu season this year. And while no one likes being ill, I've been watching people do a lot of things that spread colds and flu. As a nurse, I've learned much about cold and flu prevention. I want to share some "rules of the road" for slowing down the spread of colds and flu. This article is not meant to substitute for advice or orders from your doctor or other health care professional. It is meant to cut down on the number of colds being spread in our dojo.

First of all, if you've got a health question or problem, ask your doctor. Doctors get frustrated when they aren't asked questions or told about serious symptoms. If you think you need to see a doctor, don't put it off for a few days until that busy project at work or school is finished. Continuing to go to work or school is a great way to spread that cold or flu to the dozens of people you come in contact with.

Even if you're not actively coughing or sneezing out mucus at the moment, the act of breathing can spread a cold. How do you know if your cold or flu is infectious to others? If you have any of the following symptoms, you are infectious until at least 24 hours after the symptoms are gone:

• sneezing
• fever
• coughing
• discolored mucus or phlegm

In addition, if your doctor has prescribed antibiotics, you are infectious until you have been on the antibiotic for 48 hours.

What can you do to avoid getting a cold or the flu?

• Talk to your doctor about flu shots.
• Wash your hands before and after practice.
• Try to keep your hands away from your nose and eyes.
• Try to avoid public phones, elevators, and crowded rooms.
• Don't share water cups.
• Wash your water cup after every use. The large sink in each locker room is available for this use.

Finally, consider the number of people affected when you become ill. Your co-workers have to cover your workload, your family members are exposed to illness. You may spread your cold or flu to someone with a serious chronic illness. Those of us with asthma can attest to the serious effects of a "simple" cold.

Our dojo is a special, wonderful place. One way of demonstrating respect for the dojo, our senseis, our fellow students, and ourselves is to protect one another from illness.

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